Saint George and the Dragon
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1600 - 1700
Materials
Oil on panel
Measurements
516 x 440 mm
Place of origin
Ionian Islands
Order this imageCollection
Snowshill Manor and Garden, Gloucestershire
NT 1336276
Caption
Here St George, in red costume on his white charging horse, a symbol of purity, is seen here in a rocky landscape, facing, unusually, to the left, against a gold background, with a green dragon on the ground. St George (ca. 275/281 – 23 April 303) was said to have been born in Cappadocia in Asia Minor and have died in Lydda, Palestine. The iconic image of him slaying a dragon with his spear alludes to the death of evil and thus paganism. The story of him rescuing a maiden has come from the mediaeval book The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine. He is venerated in many countries and cities around the world from Ethiopia to Russia and from Beirut to Rio de Janeiro but was only made patron saint of England in the early 13th century.
Summary
Oil painting on board with thin layer of paster beneath the paint. Saint George. Assessment by The Temple Gallery: I think this is Greek work under Venetian influence and could be assigned to the Ionian Islands School and dated late 17th century. It's a splendid size and quite decorative, albeit somewhat primitively executed. An icon of St George in red costume on a white charging horse, facing unusually to the left, with red trappings, against a gold background with a green dragon on the ground on the right in a rocky landscape. Angel top right, group of characters in green and red robes on a tower, top left. A figure with crown and blue robe and red cape below the horse.Heavily moulded black frame.
Provenance
CPW item 49 Given to the National Trust with Snowshill Manor in 1951 by Charles Paget Wade.